Does Trimming Cannabis Affect Weed Smell?

Does trimming your buds affect the smell of your weed? Does it make the smell of cannabis processing worse, and if so, what can you do about it? Today, we’re talking about trimming cannabis, and what to do about those darn terpenes.

Terpenes and Trimming: The Science of Weed Smell

To understand weed smell, it’s important to first understand what causes it. It all comes down to those pesky terpenes, the compounds responsible for the distinctive odor of cannabis.

Terpenes are actually visible to the naked eye–sort of. When you look closely at a cannabis bud, you’re likely to see a pattern of frost-like crystals covering the flowers: these are trichomes, which produce terpenes. Contact with trichomes is what causes the familiar smell of cannabis, as well as the transference of the odor onto skin and clothes. 

But while many love the highly recognizable smell, it can become a problem for those who grow it when it escapes the confines of the growing or drying facility. Trimming in particular is one of the most high-contact parts of cannabis production, which leaves many wondering: is there a way to adjust the timing of trimming to reduce weed smell?

Trimming Cannabis for Optimal Growth

There are two main ways of trimming cannabis: wet trimming and dry trimming. The former involves trimming the excess leaves off the plant before it is dried; this is important in places with high humidity, or for growers who hang their cannabis plants to dry in small spaces with little room for air circulation, where mold can easily develop.

Dry trimming, on the other hand, is the process that takes place when cannabis plants are hung to dry nearly whole (though usually with their fan leaves removed) and then trimmed once the drying process is complete. Finally, some people prefer to not trim their cannabis at all, instead curing it and storing it with most of the leaves still attached.

Reportedly, there is not much difference in the smells emitted by the first two processes, though some smell is produced by both. However, when growers are making the decision of when to trim cannabis, the best way to approach the task is by considering external factors, such as the available space, the conditions, and the desired quality of the harvest. 

As for the final method, not trimming at all, it can actually have the most dramatic effect on the smell of the final product. While it may not bear the same risk of producing more smell, the process of not trimming cannabis is said to give the packaged weed a more “hay-like” smell. The choice is up to individual growers: to trim, or not to trim? The answer comes down to individual circumstances and preferences.

A Turn-Key Solution to Cannabis Odor

The problem of when to trim cannabis shouldn’t be dictated by the worry of producing extra cannabis smell; rather, the decision should be based on what’s best for the grower, their plants, and their facility.

Cannabusters’ cannabis odor removal solution is highly effective at removing cannabis smell from the air. Thanks to Cannabusters’ oxidation process, the smell of weed in the air around cannabis facilities is easily removed, leaving nothing but an after-rain freshness. Communities and grow-ops all benefit from Cannabusters!